Will Greenwood answers rugby fans' tweets using data from IBM TryTracker in a
review of England's loss against New Zealand at Twickenham

Nightwing21 @OlwethuApollo21 World rugby player of the year for sure #KieranRead

Kieran Read showed utter class against England on Saturday. Unsurprisingly, he was the All Blacks’ Key Influencer according to IBM TryTracker, a new online tool that gives you insight into how the game is progressing, what each team can do to increase their chance of victory and who are the key players influencing the outcome.

The big No 8 – and Richie McCaw’s likely successor as his country’s captain – had a major hand in his side’s first try, scored after only 103 seconds, when he slipped a crafty pass to Julian Savea.

He then crossed himself after only 17 minutes, gliding in at the right-hand corner. But forget about what he did in the first half.

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For me, it was what Read did when England were on the up and putting their foot on the gas. The Twickenham crowd were standing up, sensing that another historic win was on the cards and ready to cheer the boys home. He sat them firmly back down with a monster tackle and breakdown penalty which halted the English charge.

I noticed from IBM TryTracker that he made 11 tackles, when his team’s average was 6.65, and five line breaks. Is he the world’s best player this year? Let me put it this way: Lawrence Dallaglio told me that Read is better than legendary All Blacks No 8s Zinzan Brooke and Wayne Shelford. You can’t get bigger than that.

Scott Blandford @ScottyBlandfordIt’s amazing to see how often the All Blacks kick ball from hand. Always with a purpose, varied and often creates an opportunity.

It’s one of the great myths in world rugby that New Zealand play this fluid, running game. The simple fact is that they kick the ball a hell of a lot.

I saw that one of the IBM TryTracker targets for them to succeed was to achieve at least 27 kicks out of hand. Even when golden boot-wearing Dan Carter was hauled off injured they had Aaron Cruden using his feet. They easily exceeded their target and managed 34 kicks.

The All Blacks have a decent clutch of talented kickers – and whoever is doing the kicking, they shoot it deep and long, and try and force you to kick it back to them, so they can utilise the space created. That is where Israel Dagg especially is really dangerous.

Additionally, in more recent times, centre Ma’a Nonu has added his delicate kicks as an attacking weapon close to the gain line. He will pull the defence up flat and slide the ball behind for his rapid wingers.

Importantly, whatever kick is employed, all the team will back the kicker and chase ferociously. They have a system, they close the receiver down and they smash you.

And when they need to they can close the game down, as evidenced by a lovely couple of sliders late on which pinned England back in their 22 when they were desperate for territory.

Ryan Skeggs @skegga79#ibmtrytracker has been right so far! Kiwis are solid in defence even with 14 [men]!

It’s true that the All Blacks were solid in defence – they completed 153 tackles compared to England’s 81 – and that the home side did not chalk up any line breaks, when their IBM TryTracker Key to the Game was five.

But Lancaster’s boys missed only nine per cent of their hits, which was one percentage less than their aim.

Lancaster and Graham Rowntree, however, can take much heart from the fact they dominated in the scrum – New Zealand, the World Cup holders, won just 60 per cent of their own ball. England had New Zealand in the vice after the break, as IBM TryTracker’s Momentum Graph shows brilliantly, but unfortunately the lineout deserted them when they really needed it.

You always felt, however, that England would score, whether it was off a scrum – as was the case when Joe Launchbury reached over – or at the back of a lineout. We shouldn’t hide this fact: England have a pack who can take on anyone in the world. They can dominate upfront – we just need to add a bit behind that pack.

So, to conclude, England have played three, won two, lost one. And that defeat was not catastrophic. The fact is that no one will want to face them at Twickenham in the knockout stages of the World Cup in two years’ time.

Wales and Ireland will cause England’s pack absolutely no fear at home in the Six Nations next spring. Lancaster’s boys are in a decent place: they have a great camp.

They might not be perfect just yet, but – and I write this as a fan, rather than as a critic – I believe there are positive and prosperous times ahead.